After hosting the deadliest football-related riot Egypt ever witnessed, Ahmed Morsy not only finds Port Said in mourning but also trying to clear its name In the wake of the bloodbath at Port Said stadium last week Wednesday which left, according to official reports, 74 dead and 318 injured -- although other reports indicate that approximately 1,000 were wounded -- mostly supporters of Cairo club Ahli -- Port Said, 200km northeast of Cairo, stands accused, along with the police, of being behind the onslaught. The residents of this coastal city, initially seen as the victims, are now the accused. They say the media is prejudiced against Port Said, holding them responsible for the carnage that marks the highest death toll for one night since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak as president almost a year ago. "What happened was premeditated" was the common theme Al-Ahram Weekly heard from the people in Port Said, saying they were not the purported criminals in the massacre following the home team Al-Masri's unexpected 3-1 victory over Egyptian domestic league title holders Al-Ahli. Mohsena Fadl, a 50-year-old housewife, is a Port Said resident who went to the stadium after the assault. "It is unfair for Port Said to remain emotionally and psychologically isolated with others boycotting us for years," said Fadl while sitting on a chair in the Ahli-only stands. Fadl was referring to Al-Ahli's decision to boycott the coastal city as a football venue for a five-year period. "The Al-Ahli board has decided to boycott any sports event held in Port Said for all the club's teams for a period of five years," a statement on Al-Ahli's official website said. Fadl also said it was "impossible for us to commit such a crime with other Egyptian youths" and asked how the Central Security Forces (CSF) "did nothing to stop such butchery or even inspect those thugs while entering the stadium." "It's a blatant conspiracy," Mohamed Helmi, 40, an Al-Masri fan who attended the game, told the Weekly. "Even before the beginning of the game, the presence of the police forces was less than usual in such big games," Helmi said. "When I entered the stadium, I was holding a black plastic bag containing water and food. No one searched me or even asked what was inside the bag," said Helmi, who added it was his first time ever to go into a stadium without being inspected or asked to show a ticket. Fathi Ahmed is a 30-year-old painter who entered the game with a ticket of an entirely different league match played on 18 January. "There were many Al-Masri fans who had fireworks and light flares and began to hurl them towards Al-Ahli players before the beginning of the game while they were warming up. In addition, the atmosphere was tense throughout the match with the gates between the Al-Masri stands and the pitch surprisingly unlocked," Ahmed said. "Al-Masri fans tried to close them by hand in order not to let anyone invade the pitch despite Al-Ahli's 1-0 lead. However, a small number of home fans invaded the pitch after jumping over the fence, holding light flares during the interval without being caught by the CSF." During the second half, the incident was repeated after each of Al-Masri's three goals and the CSF did nothing. At this time, alleged Al-Ahli fans raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team which worsened the situation, judged as the spark of the violence. The banner cast doubt on the manhood of Port Said residents. "The banner was not the reason behind the violence since it was unfurled by Al-Ahli fans in 2009," said Omar Abdel-Aziz, an Al-Masri football fan, who added that the history of both rival fans has had even more offensive banners though nothing happened before. Ultras Ahlawi (UA), Ahli's hardcore fans whose number of dead were the majority, announced later that the banner was not theirs. "It was a well-hatched plot," said Ahmed Nasser, one of Al-Masri's loyal group of fans, the 'Green Eagles'. "Ten minutes before the final whistle, dozens of thugs entered the stadium with knives, swords and sticks, wearing Al-Masri green shirts, without being stopped by security and they melted into the home fans," Nasser claimed. Ashraf Abul-Ezz is another Green Eagle member who echoed the same infiltrator theory, saying that buses arrived outside the stadium and dropped off what he described as strange people at Port Said stadium, which was built in the 1950s and refurbished ahead of the Under-20 World Cup organised by world football's governing body FIFA and hosted by Egypt in 2009. "During the second half, those bizarre people settled among us," Abul-Ezz told the Weekly. "Some were armed, some had knives. Although it is not usually allowed in Egypt, they entered the stadium in the second half." Following the final whistle, Al-Masri supporters stormed onto the pitch through gates already open and broke the other gates with no intervention by the CSF. The home fans said they flooded the pitch at the final whistle to celebrate, claiming they did not chase after Al-Ahli supporters or players. "I was overjoyed with the result as we rarely beat Al-Ahli. I went onto the pitch to celebrate with my team. Of course everybody went down when the gates were found open in front of us," Nasser said. "Some went to celebrate on the pitch with our team and coaching staff. The others -- the infiltrators -- ran past to chase the Al-Ahli fans," Nasser contended. Al-Ahli fans were crushed to death as they tried to escape from marauding thugs who flooded onto the pitch, then to their stands. Hundreds of Al-Ahli fans tried to escape through a single corridor to the door which had been padlocked during the game. Trying to escape death, they were stuck in a narrow corridor hoping for someone to open the exit door, but that never happened. Moreover, fire flames were thrown upon them in the corridor. In addition, the other emergency exit for Al-Ahli fans was welded shut. The gate afterwards collapsed as a result of the stampede by Al-Ahli fans. A spokesman for the country's Health Ministry said most of the deaths were caused by injuries sustained in the stampede, concussions and deep cuts to the head. Some Al-Ahli fans who remained in the stands were stabbed while others were thrown from the top of the stadium to the street below. Ahmed Zeyada, a 70-year-old Port Said resident, witnessed the brutality. "Police forces let us invade the pitch, urging us to beat up Al-Ahli fans because they insulted us with their banner," Zeyada swore. "Later on, I saw some thugs throwing an Al-Ahli fan from the top of the stands onto the street. Only 10 minutes after the game, the stadium lights were surprisingly turned off which put the final touches to the horror movie," Zeyada said. "Those infiltrators don't look like they live in our city. Port Said is small and is familiar with its residents." "We helped those who were injured and took them to the nearest hospitals because there were no ambulances. Moreover, we donated blood to them. So, how could we be accused of such butchery?" Zeyada believes that whoever was responsible for the security lapse before the game, access to the stadium without being checked, the unwillingness of the security forces to stop the invasion on the pitch, leaving the gates opened as well as locking the exit doors of Al-Ahli fans, and turning off the lights of the stadium, should be accused of the carnage, not the people of Port Said. "The security officials are to blame for the Port Said massacre," said Mohamed Younis, head of Port Said stadium. "The management of the stadium went to Port Said's security chief on Wednesday morning, so he was responsible for the stadium that day. As for the welded door, it was welded two days before the game after it broke in a previous game between Ittihad of Alexandria and Al-Masri. It was welded for the safety of Al-Ahli fans in order not to let Al-Masri fans enter Al-Ahli stands from outside the stadium. "Regarding switching off the stadium's lights, the lighting engineer was ordered to do so by the security officials for security reasons. There are 39 cameras inside the stadium that recorded every minute of the incidents and the recorded tapes went to the prosecution-general investigating the case," Younis said. Although Wednesday's carnage does not appear to be the fault of Al-Ahli supporters, they are constantly being blamed for clashes with security forces before and after the revolution. Throughout 2011, the Ultras' out-of-stadium appearances were a hallmark, featuring in the frequent confrontations with security forces after taking part in protests -- though not all -- whether they were in Tahrir Square or other liberation sites. After the 25 January Revolution, they began to belt out political chants insulting the police forces and recently chanted obscenities at the military police. "It's a conspiracy plotted by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces [SCAF], the Ministry of Interior and followed through by the Al-Masri fans to take revenge on us," Abdallah Salah, a UA founder, told the Weekly. "The Ministry of Interior and its security officials were reluctant to do their duty. So how will they catch the criminals?" Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri on Thursday accepted the resignation of Port Said Governor Mohamed Abdel-Moneim Hashim over the football massacre. El-Ganzouri said he had also decided to dismiss the Port Said security chief and its chief of criminal investigation service. On Friday, Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud banned Port Said Governor Ahmed Abdallah, former Port Said security chief Essam Samak and two other security officials from travelling abroad. A similar ban applied to president of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Samir Zahar who later resigned, and head of Port Said stadium and other officials until the investigation into Port Said stadium violence is completed. On Thursday, the residents of Port Said marched in front of the governorate building and around the city, insisting that the violence in the city's football stadium the night before was something they strongly condemned, and placed blame for the incident squarely on the shoulders of security forces and local authorities. They also marched in mourning of the victims, chanting against the current ruling military council and accusing authorities of inciting the riots. Fifty-three individuals were arrested after the events of Port Said. The charges against them are killing and causing permanent disabilities, the destruction of public and private property and instigating riots. The Weekly met with some of their families. Ahmed Khaled, a 14-year-old student, is currently under arrest. "My son was caught in front of our house at 10pm," Khaled's father told the Weekly. Asking whether he attended the game, Khaled's father said: "He didn't attend the game and he doesn't even like football. "The police chiefs of Al-Manakh and Al-Arab police stations arrested our sons haphazardly from the streets hours after the game." Moemen Gamal, 13, is another teenager who was detained after the game. His mother almost fainted when relating to the Weekly his condition when she went to see him a day earlier in the police station. "How could a 13-year-old child commit crimes or even hold a knife?" Ali Atef, 19, was also accused of the same charges. His mother said Atef has diabetes. "They beat him hard and his face was all swollen and blood was coming down from his mouth when I saw him in jail," said Atef's mother while holding a plastic bag full of medicine, trying unsuccessfully to deliver them to her son. Ashraf Zakaria, 13, is another teenager who was caught for no reason, according to his father. "How can a 13-year-old child be caught up with criminals and prisoners?" Zakaria's father asked. Abdel-Rahman Gamal is a 14-year-old who did not go to the game but was detained nevertheless. Ahmed Adel, 15, was arrested in front of a cinema at 9pm, according to his family. Ali Hamed is a customs official in Port Said whose two sons were also jailed as they went to a market place to buy some clothes. "After the game, I gave my two young sons LE350 to buy clothes. On their way while on a microbus, I called to check on them and they told me that they are being arrested. Since then, their mobile has been switched off and I know nothing about them," Hamed said. "The boys detained are merely a scapegoat for the detectives to appear as if they are doing their job," he added. "We want only justice. The faces of the thugs appeared in the TV broadcasts of the game and if the police match the faces of our sons with those thugs, our kids will definitely be released." According to the child rights law, those arrested are under the age of 18, which makes an investigation by the prosecutor-general illegal since the case does not belong in the prosecutor- general's jurisdiction.
